Molecular Structures on Short and Ultra Short Timescales

A Centre under the Danish National Research Foundation

The Centre for Molecular Movies was inaugurated 29th November 2005, at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. The Centre is made possible through a five year grant from the Danish National Research Foundation (see e.g. www.dg.dk).  We aim to obtain real time “pictures” of how atoms are moving while processes are taking place in molecules and solid materials, using ultrashort pulses of laser light and X-rays. The goal is to understand and in turn influence, at the atomic level, the structural transformations associated with such processes.

The Centre combines expertise form Risø National Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, and the Technical University of Denmark in structural investigation of matter by synchrotron X-ray based techniques, femtosecond laser spectroscopy, theoretical insight in femtosecond processes, and the ability to tailor materials, and design sample systems for optimal experimental conditions.

We are working to develop methods and techniques for investigating fast and ultra fast structural phenomena on the molecular scale, and apply these  techniques to fundamental questions within chemistry, biology, and material science, for example chemical reactions (making and breaking of bonds between atoms), phase transitions (e.g., melting), and charge transfer between atoms or molecules. Examples of the latter are structural changes in the solid state that will be induced by polarized molecules in their charge-transfer states; molecular switches that are made from molecules capable of cycling between two or more states when interacting with light; and transport of charge at the interface between a metal electrode and a layer of organic molecules, initiated by laser excitation, to resemble structural changes experienced in functioning organic electronic devices.

The Centre welcomes new collaborations, and through the Centre grant, we will be able to engage a number of Ph.D. students and post doctoral fellows, as well as invite visiting professors and scientists to visit the Centre for shorter or longer stays. Please feel free to suggest candidates for either of these.



Contact:

Martin Meedom Nielsen, Centre director

Centre for Molecular Movies,

Niels Bohr Institute,
Universitetsparken 5,
2100 Copenhagen,
Denmark

cnmolmov@nbi.ku.dk
cmm.nbi.ku.dk